Tag: Spider Run

Thirteen Spider Runlings, including one that took the Slack bait and popped his cherry, met in the well lit bowl for this week’s highly anticipated Spider Run. After the noob put away his broga mat, instructions were offered. Initial instructions included obeying the no trespassing signs but those were quickly disregarded, so off we went for the lawless route.

The Route

• Through the bat cave to River / Huguenot / Cary intersection
• Go straight through the intersection, keeping the jewelry store on your right, across the wooden bridge, to virgin ground
• Continue across the train tracks, take first right, then first right, then back left across the bridge and back to lawful territory
• Left down Huguenot to Westham Station
• Right on Panorama, turn around when it starts going up hill
• Right on Westham Station
• Right on Old Bridge, turn around when you get to the fork in the road
• Right on Westham Station to the end where it turns right to South Ridge
• Wave at the hill and turn around
• Right on Old Bridge, across the metal bridge then continue to a left into second section of private property
• Continue until you can’t go any further than return back to Westham Station
• Back through the bat cave
• 5s and 6s do a loop around the lake, we all figured out the correct distances

Numbers, names, YHC took us out.

Announcements

• First Watch Deliverance workout tomorrow at 5am sharp at Huguenot Flatwater. 5am departure so get your boat in the water and ready to go before then. Ask a friend if you need a vessel.

Moleskin

I never knew we had such rebels in our crew (actually, it fits the M.O.). YHC drove the private routes last night and determined that some people may not appreciate crossing the clearly marked private property / no trespassing signs. I was wrong, so back to the pre-planned route. The virgin ground was beautiful.

YHC was shocked to see Last Call today. Clearly the allure of the flattest spider run ever, or perhaps it was the virgin reference, got him out of the sack to try out Spider Run today. Welcome back any time.

Ample mumblechatter this morning, culminating for me with Chippendale’s suggestion to try to catch the deer. YHC only had visions of boxing kangaroos and the negative outcomes that would prevail.

Enjoy a blessed day everyone.

Splinter out.

10 Started, 9 returned.

Route – bat cave -> across bridge -> Huguenot Trail. 4 milers home, 5 milers add the flat to Hickory, 6 miles up Hickory across Cherokee and home.

What route should one call when a south side takeover presides? Run to south side of course. Most seemed pleased with the inclusion of a little off road trail mix which doesn’t occur much at Spider and RAMM. YHC and Hitch had the opportunity to run with Bodos, taking a sabbatical from the five mile run. Marv pulled a hammy, hope he made it back safely and heals up today.

Announcements – Summer tour – we’ll see where we get.

-Singer

A solid dozen dudes posted on a “the heat is on it’s way” morning in the near west end. While the temperatures were hanging in the mid-60s, you could feel the humidity creeping in.

There was chatter before about the origins of the Spider Run. YHC is pretty sure it was birthed by Saab and me once things at Mary Munford got cemented. That said, I don’t feel like the historical “Fudd Run” was founded after Spider Run was launched. Like, it predated it…somehow. Not sure if that makes sense or if there were runs in the near west end/Westham area prior to Spider Run becoming an official AO but it was a topic of conversation this morning.

To that end, it was a bit of a Fudd Run this morning through the hills of Westham.

4s, 5s, 6s got into the Westham neighborhood through the standard Robins Center Parking lot, College Road, Lakewood, Wood, Baldwin.

4s and 5s took Baldwin to Hollins to Woodberry. 4s took Woodberry to Westham and then back to Baldwin and back to the flag.

5s went across Westham to Horsepen…Horsepen to Devon to Ridgetop…Left on Chandler(!)…up Chandler back to Gardiner. Gardiner hits Wheeler…cross the bridge back to campus…then launch to Boatright to Three Chopt. Uturn on Three Chopt back to to the flag with a bit of a lap around the lake in there…YHC apologizes as it seems that was a wee bit short.

6s actually went Rock Creek to Sweet Briar to Woodberry to Hollins. Hollins to Baldwin to Brookside…Brookside to Bryn Mawr back to Woodberry. From there, the same as the 5s without the trip around the lake.

On the run there was a cute yard sign that congratulated a preschooler on graduation. A few of us on the run raised an eyebrow at that early congrats…but then again, what gets celebrated gets repeated and who doesn’t want a graduation to be repeated in Elementary School, Middle School and obviously high school.

While the county of Henrico has many amazing vistas…coming over the railroad tracks on Hillard off of Staples Mill, pulling into the Costco parking lot on a Saturday, Sandston…there’s nothing quite like that scene between 5:50 and 6:00 am when you arrive at the highest point in the county, the seat apex, if you will and you find yourself at the crest of Mt. Henrico.

The Blue Ridge Bank (with electric charging stations (@Faceplant, @Sippy). The Burger King. The CAA Offices (did you know that they are no longer the Colonial Athletic Association, but the Coastal Athletic Association? Thirteen years ago that league had JMU, ODU, VCU all playing quality hoops against each other and UofR making up what was widely regarded as the best FCS football league in the country. Now all those schools are gone, including UofR, who bolted to the Patriot League for football).

I digress.

Anyway, it was a georgeous morning to grab your oxygen tank, your sherpa and your SLR Camera to head to the Zenith of all things Henrico at the intersection of Julian and Parham…which is exactly what a dozen post Memorial Day exercising guys did.

The thang…

Lakeview to the parking lot by the baseball field. (Anyone know what they are doing on the baseball field at UofR?). Down to College. College to Lakewood to Wood to Baldwin. I mean, we all know this, right…kinda playing the hits here. Baldwin gets ya to Rock Creek which, if you take a leo, you end up at Forest. Forest to the other University, not to be confused with the one 1 mile away. University all the way to Glendale (like where the Arizona Cardinals play, thanks @Splinter) to Julian. Run to the end of Julian…take a deep breath, think about all those fantastic CAA Tournament basketball games in the Coliseum, turn around and head home.

Where have you gone, Eric Maynor?

Fourteen Road Scholars embraced the hills of Westham for routes of multiple lengths. We started out with a climb up University Dr, a detour to First Watch, and then dropped down to Westham Station. There were various “finger hills” that challenged the Pax.

The curious deer crossed the road and the hawk got his mouse. Marv took us out.

Eleven or more hill lovers met in the bowl for today’s spider run. Instructions were brief as the route was well known, nary a mention of the alternate name for Ross’ bottom.

The Route

• Batcave to Westham station
• Up south ridge to the light
• 4s turn around and come home
• 5s and 6s add Ross on the way down
• 6s add Highland

Numbers, names, YHC took us out.

Moleskin

Good tried but true route this AM. Thanks for Lockjaw, in abstentia, for introducing this variant many moons ago.

We intersected Saab on Westham Station and he joined us for a brief minute. Only he knows where he went.

During COT, a large brown spider appeared and joined the circle. We closed our eyes, said a prayer, and when they opened, he was gone. I’m sure he’s fine.

Sorry for the day late fellas.

Six dudes, each excited to be there, met in the bowl to discuss routes. Q sheet opened up last night so YHC grabbed it and threw out a well known route. Glenbrooke Circle.

The Route

4s: https://onthegomap.com/s/2it64s81
5s: https://onthegomap.com/s/cb4drrlo
6s: https://onthegomap.com/s/snnefdlg

Numbers, names, YHC took us out.

Moleskin

Routes were posted yesterday evening and even though there were stipulations provided for traveling on Ralston, no enforcement was to be seen. Half of us made it up Summit, one was conveniently solo when he got to the top. Hmmmmm.

Questions abound as to why the first class streets are so wide when no one parks on the street.

Sneaky hills on that route. 6 milers had 9 hills, 5 milers 8, 4 milers 6. Fun times.

New route planned for a few weeks. Don’t skip a Splinter Q.

✌️

Eleven’ish gentlemen braved the somewhat posted route for today’s variation of Spider Run intervals. After a brief, yet contested, disclaimer, off we went.

The Route

Through the path, up Roselawn, right on Towana, right on access road, left on St. Christophers. Upchuck was in the lead after the first turn, for those who are counting.

Right just past the baseball field to the track. 200m intervals. 200m at faster than race pace followed by 200m recovery. 4 milers do 4, 5 milers do 8, 6 milers do 12. Or whatever count you want in between there.

Numbers, names, YHC took us out.

Announcements

• GroRuck weekend, lots of announcements there
• Señor Chuck has the Dogpile Q for the early birds

Moleskin

Well, well, it seems that the number 7 has quite a fetish in history. Multiple 7 Years’ Wars (some taking longer than 7 years, but who’s counting?). 7 years of famine. 7 years of drought. Even the Dalai Lama himself spent (at least) 7 years in Tibet. And of course, it has been a whopping 7 years since Upchuck last graced a track with his presence, or so he claims through his perpetually track-deprived tears. The Q sheet is conveniently filled for 4/30/2031 for more track shenanigans.

YHC always appreciates y’all’s presence, even when running frustrates me to the point of questioning my life choices. There are good runs, there are bad runs, and sometimes YHC gets stuck in a rut deeper than Westham creek. For me, intervals are the magical cure to break out of that rut, and it was desperately needed today.

It was also quite delightful to give the queen’s wave to Gypsy and Homer as they plodded along on the track. YHC can’t help but wonder if they actually tested out those hurdles, or if they were just admiring them from a safe distance, afraid to unleash their inner Olympians.

Adiós amigos, until the next round!

Splinter

A meandering route through ziontown and south ridge.

Lockjaw needs data backup. Ping Splinter if you were here and want credit.

An eleven inquisitive runners paid no heed to the frost warning and sought early miles on the road. Topics varied as much as the routes, but all returned with deep thoughts.

Up the hill to the main entrance and then up another hill to Three Chopt. Take the access road to Grove and then Granite, and then Patterson to head west. 4s turn on Pepper, 5s on Honker, and 6s on Westham Dr (returning via Lakewood).

YHC took us out.

Lots of great chatter and antics this morning. Turns out Finland is the happiest nation in the world with Sweden as number four. I guess you start out learning Swedish and end with Finnish.